Special Sub-Topic: Famous Museums Click Here To Play: Famous Museums

The Louvre is certainly one of the five or so best known musuems in the world ... but in which city is it ?

Paris. The Louvre is one of the biggest museums in the world. It used to be France's Royal Palace during the 16th and 17th century. It hosts an impressive collection of paintings that goes from Medieval religous art to romantism. However, The Louvre is not only the place in which we can see 'Mona Lisa'. We can also see in that palace/museum either beautiful sculptures like 'Venus de Milo' or 'Samothrace's Victory', or impressive antiquities such as Hammurabi's code, scribe, or Egyptian sarcophagi.

The Pergamonmuseum is located on an island. In which city is that island located?

Berlin. Located (together with four other museums) on the Museumsinsel (the Museum Island) in the middle of the Spree river, the Pergamonmuseum is mostly known for its outstanding antiquities. Thus, we can find Roman, Greek (The huge Altar of Zeus) or Babylonian (Ishtar Gate) masterpieces in this very impressive place.

In which city would you find the Rijksmuseum?

Amsterdam. If you're interested in 17th century Dutch paintings (one of my favourite styles), the Rijks (pronounced "Rikes") is the place to go. You can find there beautiful paintings of Rembrandt such as the 'Nightwatch' or Vermeer's masterpieces like the 'Milkmaid'.

Where in France is "Le Musée d'Orsay"?

Paris. Well, it would be too easy if it was located in Orsay! Actually, the Musée d'Orsay used to be a train station named "Gare d'Orsay" because trains were going to the city of Orsay. Now it's the big museum of French impressionism ... and of course, it's in Paris. If you want to discover Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, or Van Gogh, it's the place to go to.

The Museo del Prado is also known for its 16th/17th century paintings ... but where is it?

Madrid. It's arguably the most important museum of classical art in the world. Of course, as it's located in Madrid, the most interesting collection represents the Spanish school. You can see many of the most important works from Velasquez (17th century) and also Goya (18th/19th century), including his fabulous painting known as the Tres de Mayo (May, 3rd).

A museum with an English name! Where is the Tate Gallery?

London, Liverpool, and other locations. Henry Tate was a British Art collector. The Gallery was founded thanks to the generous gifts he made to the nation in 1891. It's the great museum to see paintings of trees and gardens, well to see the main works of the English school (Gainsborough, Turner). The Liverpool section is more recent and focuses on 20th and 21st century art.

Where is the Alte Pinakothek?

Munich. The Alte Pinakothek from Munich hosts the biggest German collection of European paintings from the 14th to the 18th century. It's composed mostly from the former collection of he Wittelsbach family. Of course, the most interesting works are from the German school and the Flemish (Bosch), even if some Renaissance paintings are also fabulous.

In which city is the well-known Legion of Honor Palace of Fine Arts?

San Francisco. Designed to look like a Roman ruin, this golden building is certainly a beauty to behold.

We're in Eastern Europe! Where is the Tretiakov Gallery?

Moscow. The Tretiakov Gallery is mostly about Russian art masterpieces. Thus, it's the place to go to see paintings from Fedotov, Kiprenski, Perov, Gay, Kramskoï or Levithan.

If you're familiar with European languages, the name of this museum may help you ... but just a bit. Where is the Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten?

Antwerp. It has a Flemish name and is located in Belgium. It means literally the Royal Museum of Fine Arts (in Flemish/Dutch). Of course, it's the place to go to see the Flemish school (Rubens, Brueghel, Van Dyck, Jordaens). We can also find interesting pieces from the German school in here with people like Van Eyck or Memling.

This museum has also a nickname but this time I won't tell it to you. In which city is the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

New York. This is certainly THE American museum of art. Located near Central Park, the Met contains arts of all styles (antiquities, Persian, Chinese, paintings, sculptures, etc). The museum has an impressive collection of European paintings from the 14th century to the 19th century.

In which of these cities is the Guggenheim Museum?

All of them (Venice, Bilbao, New York). Even if the best known is the one of New York, there are also Guggenheim Museums in Venice and Bilbao. Bilbao's Museum was designed by the Canadian architect Franck O. Gehry. It has been completed very recently and the building worth at himself the trip to Bilbao. Guggenheim Museums are about Modern Art (Magritte, Dali, etc).

The Kunsthistorisches Museum may be a museum you've heard a few about. However, it remains one of the largest museums in the world. In which city is it?

Vienna. The collection of this museum is also one of the richest in the world (I told you it was about the most important museums !). As the Met, the Louvre or the Hermitage, the museum has collections of all kinds. Most important paintings are the hunters in the snow from Brueghel and the painter's workshop from Vermeer. About the other famous painters we can find in this museum, there's Van Dyck, Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, and Italian painters (Raphaello, Titian, etc).

The Van Gogh Museum is certainly the best known museum in which one can find paintings by only a single artist. Where is it?

Amsterdam. If you're intrigued by this Dutch painter, it's the museum to visit. It's located in Amsterdam just beside the Rijksmuseum. We can follow the life of the painter in this museum from his first dark works to the magnificent pieces he made when he was in Auvers-sur-Oise with Gauguin.

The Hermitage is not only a huge museum, it's also an amazing palace. Where is it?

St. Petersburg. The Hermitage is one of the most prestigious museums and one of the largest museums in the world. The Louvre and the Hermitage are certainly the two largest museums in the world. We can find all kind of paintings in this museum : Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, Rembrandt, etc.

Where is the Western Art Museum ?

Tokyo. The Western Art Museum of Tokyo hosts the largest collection of Western paintings and scultpures in Asia. The museum's building is very modern and worth a look. You can see in that museum one of the three 'Sunflowers' of Van Gogh (the others being in Amsterdam and London). We can also see in it works of Picasso, Rodin, Monet or Cezanne.

Where is the Vatican Museum?

Vatican City. The Vatican Museum is actually in the Vatican palace. If you're thirsty for crucifixion, it's the place to go. This museum is also very well known because it hosts the world's famous Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. Anyway, if you're not fond of Catholicism, there are also great Roman and Greek art pieces.

We're looking at impressionism paintings, the collection of the Musée de l'Orangerie. In which place could be found that collection?

Paris. The Musée de l'Orangerie is located in the Tuileries Garden near the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It's the second largest impressionism museum of France after the Musée d'Orsay. It's well known for the water-lilies from Monet (four huge works). We can also find there works from Cézanne, Renoir, Soutine, Modigliani, Matisse, or Derain. Auvers-sur-Oise is the place where Van Gogh made his best works, Giverny is the place where Monet got his house (and gardens).

The Vasamuseet or Vasa Museum is mostly about ships. In which Scandinavian capital is it?

Stockholm. The Vasamuseet is located in Stockholm and it's well known because it hosts boats and viking drakkars. The most known of these boats is the "Vasa" frigate that has sunk in Stockholm's harbour in 1628. It has been taken from the sea in 1961 and then it has been restored. It's also a very funny museum to visit.

Centre Pompidou: in which city is this museum?

Paris. The Centre Pompidou is the most important museum of Modern Art in Paris. The building looks really original since it's made of big colored pipes and what looks rather like scaffolding. Everybody who looks at it for the first time really believes it's still unfinished! It has been named as the former President of France Georges Pompidou (There's no city called Pompidou). It hosts more than 50,000 paintings that goes from Fauvism to Cubism.

Where are we when we visit the "Offices Gallery"?

Florence. La Galleria di Uffizi is one of the most beautiful museums in the world. It contains an art collection originally assembled by the Medici family that illustrates how Italian painting evolved during the Renaissance and after. Its most famous work is the "Birth of Venus" of Botticelli. The collection incldes works from the 13th century to the 18th century.

Where is the Art Institute that holds "American Gothic"?

Chicago. This Classical Renaissance structure, guarded by two bronze lions at its entrance, boasts one of the world's great art collections, including the trademark 'American Gothic'. There's several Art Institutes throughout America but the most well known is Chicago's.

Calouste Gulbenkian has given his name to the most important museum of which city?

Lisbon. I agree that this one is tough to guess. The Gulbenkian complex features a museum that houses a magnificent private collection of Persian art, Egyptian sculptures, and paintings by the Old Masters, as well as two concert halls for music and ballet performances. The collection is very diversed with painters like Boots, Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough, Degas, Manet, etc...

In which city is the British Museum located?

London. Founded in 1753, this museum houses one of the world's greatest collections of world antiquities from ancient Greece, Rome and Asia, plus items from prehistoric Britain. The must see of the collection is the Rosetta stone. The French scientist Jean-François Champollion succeeded in deciphering the hieroglyphs thanks to the three different versions of the same text written on that stone.